REVEALING W51C AS A COSMIC RAY SOURCE USING FERMI-LAT DATA
Jogler T, Funk S (2016)
Publication Status: Published
Publication Type: Journal article, Original article
Publication year: 2016
Journal
Book Volume: 816
Article Number: 100
Journal Issue: 2
DOI: 10.3847/0004-637X/816/2/100
Abstract
Supernova remnants (SNRs) are commonly believed to be the primary sources of Galactic cosmic rays. Despite intensive study of the non-thermal emission of many SNRs the identification of the accelerated particle type relies heavily on assumptions of ambient-medium parameters that are only loosely constrained. Compelling evidence of hadronic acceleration can be provided by detecting a strong roll-off in the secondary γ-ray spectrum below the production threshold energy of about 135 MeV, the so called "pion bump." Here we use five years of Fermi-Large Area Telescope data to study the spectrum above 60 MeV of the middle-aged SNR W51C. A clear break in the power-law γ-ray spectrum at is detected with significance and we show that this break is most likely associated with the energy production threshold of mesons. A high-energy break in the γ-ray spectrum at about 2.7 GeV is found with significance. The spectral index at energies beyond this second break is and closely matches the spectral index derived by the MAGIC Collaboration above 75 GeV. Therefore our analysis provides strong evidence to explain the γ-ray spectrum of W51C by a single particle population of protons with a momentum spectrum best described by a broken power law with break momentum W51C is the third middle-aged SNR that displays compelling evidence for cosmic-ray acceleration and thus strengthens the case of SNRs as the main source of Galactic cosmic rays.
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APA:
Jogler, T., & Funk, S. (2016). REVEALING W51C AS A COSMIC RAY SOURCE USING FERMI-LAT DATA. Astrophysical Journal, 816(2). https://dx.doi.org/10.3847/0004-637X/816/2/100
MLA:
Jogler, T., and Stefan Funk. "REVEALING W51C AS A COSMIC RAY SOURCE USING FERMI-LAT DATA." Astrophysical Journal 816.2 (2016).
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